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QUIT YOU LIKE MEN
by Jerry Ousley I used to be a quitter. It seemed that I never finished anything I started (except a good meal). There was one time I quit a job. I was working part time during the summer at a foundry trying to raise money for Bible College. I weighed a whopping one hundred and twenty-five pounds and sported a twenty-nine inch waist. They put me on a job that required me to lift hot plates from a conveyor rack that rotated upward. Those plates were not only extremely hot but they were also very heavy. Okay, I needed the exercise so I just tried to be careful not to burn myself while lifting those plates. The problem was that the company provided work boots only they didn't have my size. I was forced to take a size too big and after a couple of days of walking around, large blisters began forming on my heels and feet. At least twice I checked back at the supply room to see if the right size had come in but they hadn't. The day came when I just couldn't take it any longer. I decided to go up to the supervisor's office and see if he could do anything and so I asked the two men who worked loading the other side of the conveyor if they could do my job for a few minutes while I went up to speak to the boss. They refused. So there I was! I either had to continue walking on those blisters trying to keep up or just quit. Right or wrong, I decided to quit. I walked off the job, went upstairs and informed the supervisor that I was finished and left. At least one of those guys had to do my job anyway and not just for a few minutes; whichever lucky person it turned out to be had to do it until they found a replacement for me. I always wondered why they had two guys loading and only one unloading anyway! Paul talked about quitting only not in the same aspect as what we think of when we use the word "quit." I'm going to use the King James Version to quote this verse because it uses the old English rendition of "quit." In 1 Corinthians 16:13 Paul said, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong." The use of the word "quit" in this verse really means to be brave like men. I guess we could say we are quitting being weak and quitters. To better define it the New King James Version says it this way: "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong." See what I mean? We live in a world today in which it seems many men are taking a backseat. Now don't get me wrong; I believe women should have rights. The Bible tells us in the New Testament that in the eyes of God there is no male or female. We are equal. I don't believe that women are less than men but neither do I believe that they are greater. Again we are equals. However, in today's society it seems that many women have taken the driver's seat and men are simply stepping back. I know of way too many marriages in which the men just lazy around the house all day while the women make the living, bring home the bacon (both kinds) and the men just sit at home and stick out their hands when payday arrives. Excuse me but this is just inexcusable! In Christ we are to be men. Yes there are roles that God intended for men just as there are roles that He intended for women. Does this make them any less equal? Absolutely not! It just means that there are certain things that women do that men can't or shouldn't and vice-versa. I feel that the day is quickly approaching when as men we must be brave and strong. We need to get into practice so that it doesn't catch us up unawares. First we are to watch. What are we watching for? We are watching out for our families, our church, our souls, the souls of our families and the souls of our church. Then we are to stand fast. We are to be the spiritual leader not our wife. Finally we are to be brave and strong, not just in physical things but in matters of the spirit. We are to be examples to our children and the children around us, not abusers of them. So what about it guys; can we quit like men? Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |